Hemp Foods... The New Soy?

Posted by Admin on August 21, 2006

Hey move over soy! Take a back seat, flaxseed! You healthy foods you ain't got nothing on hemp. Whats hemp, you ask? For most people you'll ask about hemp, either its an I dont know Or it's something illicit. Never heard of it, says Anthony. The hemp seed, never heard of it, adds Hagit. Kyle says, Isnt hemp a drug. Kinda sorta. But not really. Charles Norman Holmps of Living Harvest Conscious Nutrition says, They hear the word hemp and their mind goes to marijuana. The marijuana issue is that the hemp plant is in the same family as the marijuana plant, but the hemp plant is way down the chain on the levels of THC, it is has microscopic levels of THC, less than four parts per billion, whereas the average marijuana plant has between 10 to 15 % of THC, so really is nothing. Its like putting poppy seeds in the same category as heroin.

"What hemp is, is a seed that has amazing health benefits. The hemp seed nut, like this here, is about like the size of a grain of wheat, inside is this little piece of meat, which is 30% protein, thats actually more protein than meat and on the fat side, its actually 50% fat, now when we here that, we say thats a lot of fat, but these are essential as well, and the good fats are absolutely critical for the bodys health, every cell membrane is covered fat," says Holmps.

In fact, hemp seeds have all ten essential amino acids, and all essential fatty acids, and are a rich source of the valuable omega three fatty acids. Melia Curran, a nutritionist with Whole Foods Market, says, “Well hemp seeds you can actually have it ground and put it into smoothies or put it on salads, put it on yogurt, it also is available as an oil, so hemp oil is wonderful as a salad dressing. You wouldn’t want to add it to a very high temperature but again I put it in my pasta, I put it on vegetables that I’ve steamed, stir fry after it’s cooked.”

You can use the meal to make flour for cookies and bread. You can even make veggie burgers and cheese from the hemp seed! Apparently the history of hemp is very interesting. Until the 1880’s it was the most domesticated crop on the planet, in fact the founding fathers of this country all grew hemp and the farmers who were given land were forced to grow a certain amount of hemp because it was such an important part of everyone’s life.

So would you try hemp? Jim says, “No, I don’t know enough about it, I’d have to see what it is, I;m not a hundred percent sure what it is, my answer is no.” Scaredy cat! Try it, you’ll like it! So look for a hemp explosion. For more information on Hemp foods visit, "Living Harvest."